Who We Are

     In 2007, Eliot Coleman introduced Greg Garbos, an innovative and industrious engineer, to Mike Bollinger, a dedicated farmer and agriculture consultant, and together Mike and Greg founded Four Season Tools. The combination of Mike’s agriculture expertise and Greg’s engineering knowledge has resulted in the design of industry-leading, innovative products and services that extend crop growing seasons, enable greenhouses to move, revolutionize greenhouse production, and create opportunities for pastured animals to be protected within movable agriculture buildings.

Greg Garbos - FST President & Founder

     Greg has spent his career pursuing and promoting skill-based service - a philosophy of using your unique talents  and skills to make a difference in the world. As a trained engineer, Greg has applied his skills to implementing solutions for sustainability. His love for nature came from a childhood in a tiny town nestled in the mountains of southern New Hampshire. There he was inspired by his passive solar home with a solar thermal water heating system custom designed and built by his own parents. His drive for an altruistic career was influenced by his father’s aerospace engineering fellowship and his mother’s biblical scholarship. They encouraged Greg to apply his knowledge and interpersonal skills to help others. 

     Greg received both his bachelors and masters engineering degrees from Duke University in under four years. There he spent much of his free time leading excursions into the wilderness so that other students could share in his passion for the environment.  Greg worked for Sustainable Mobility Technologies, an advanced engineering team within Ford Motor Company. At Ford he was selected for a rotational leadership development program and worked in various business disciplines, including engineering, manufacturing and the management of programs implementing hydrogen fuel cells, hybrid technologies, and biofuels.

     Greg’s interest in triple-bottom line companies continued as he became the Controller for a technical sales company in the energy sector. There he handled the operations of the company and led the design and implementation of propriety data management systems. His passion for energy conservation and renewable energy has also led Greg to become a LEED Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council and a Certified Green Professional with the National Association of Home Builders. Using this knowledge he performed building energy audits then facilitated energy improvements and the installation of renewable energy solutions.

Mike Bollinger - FST Agriculture Specialist & Founder

     Following Mike's time as a agriculture and natural resource volunteer in Mali, West Africa, his interest in community health developed into a passion for farming when he was introduced to the vast wealth of genetic biodiversity as part of Decorah, Iowa's Seed Savers Exchange. He spent the next several years in Maine where he was the Resident Steward, with his partner Katie, of the Good Life Center, the former homestead of Helen and Scott Nearing. Eventually he moved again, this time less than a mile down the road,to a small cabin to manage Four Season Farm with Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch.

     Although Mike loved New England, he was a Midwesterner at heart . Landing in Chicago, he became the Farm Manager for a youth urban farming program with the Chicago Botanic Garden that worked in conjunction with the Chicago Public School System. At the same time he was hired as an agriculture consultant for another initiative, Windy City Harvest, that now offers training in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture. In order to build upon the clear synchronicity in health and agriculture Mike enrolled at Columbia University where was educated as a certified Holistic Health Counselor. In time Mike (and wife Katie) were hired to design and manage Heritage Prairie Market & Farm in La Fox, Illinois, which now successfully serves an onsite store,  Chicago farmers markets, numerous area restaurants, and a Community Supported Agriculture subscription. 

     Currently Mike wears three hats, he's Agriculture Specialist and Founder of Four Season Tools, where he focuses on farm development consultation, he owns and operates River Root Farm, a Certified Organic vegetable farm, with partner Katie in Decorah, Iowa, and he's the father of two beautiful children, Adeline and Oliver!

Randy Metzler - Sales Development

      Randy joined Four Season Tools part time in the spring of 2009 and then came on board full time in January of 2010 to help with Sales Development. His heritage is deeply rooted in rural central Pennsylvania, where growing up he lived in a small dairy valley, with Mennonite and Amish roots. His grandparents were dairy farmers, which early on became a favorite place to hang out until his own family moved onto a small 30 acre piece of land and provided an opportunity for having a large garden, chickens, horses, etc. Following graduation from Goshen College in 1977 with a BS in Education, Randy came to Kansas City, MO where he soon transitioned from teaching to starting and building a remodeling company, which he sold in January of 2009.

     The experience at Four Season Tools has been most welcome, as it offers an opportunity that connects him back to his beloved Pennsylvania childhood. Randy and his wife Jeanette recently arranged to purchase a 20 acre farm from Jeanette's parents where they are planning a large garden and Elderberry operation. 

River Root Farm – Decorah, IA
     A four season certified organic vegetable farm with fixed and movable high tunnels run by Mike and his wife Katie. RiverRootFarm.com

City Bitty Farm – Kansas City, MO 
     A year-round naturally grown microgreen greenhouse operation being started by Greg and his wife Jen.

Oliver Lending a Hand at River Root Farm